Reversible motor controlled portable ironer with self-actuating clutch



Jan. 16, 1951 A H DAVIS ETAL 2,533,617

REVERSIBLE. MO'TOR CONTROLLED PORTABLE IRONER WITH SELF-ACTUATING CLUTCH Filed'Aug. 6, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet l FORWARD H REVERSE LIMIT cowl MON SWITCH J OPERATOR ARM 29 CONTROL swn'cn Fig 10 INVENTORS A iPCH/BA L D H. DA v/s, THO MAS/ HA 7878/5 & BY Eon #20 a 5 WM M.

Mam

ATToR/vws Jan. 16, 1951 A H. DAVIS EIAL 2,538,617

REVERSIBLE MOTOR CONTROLLED PORTABLE IRONER WITH SELF-ACTUATING CLUTCH Filed Aug. 6, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS A RCH/B'A z D H- .DA v/s,

THOMAS HA RR/S &

BY fan 4P0 c: 5 ML M:

A TORNESS 2,538,617 CONTROLLED PORTABLE F ACTUATING CLUTCH A H. DAVIS EF AL REVERSIBLE MOTOR IRONER WITH SEL Jan. 16, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. 6, 1946 IN VEN TORS a, B lwj am y ARCH/BALD H. DAV/S, H THOMAS HARP/5.5 50144420 6. SW/L /k. y h/w/w' A ToRA/Eys Jan. 16, 1951 A. H. DAVIS ETAL 2,538,617

REVERSIBLE MOTOR CONTROLLED PORTABLE IRONER WITH SELF-ACTUATING CLUTCH 4 Sheets-SheetA Filed Aug. 6, 1946 INVENTORS A PCH/BA /.D H- .DA v/s, THO/"IA 5 HA PIE/S &

L'Dnnxz; ct SW/L /k.

A T TORN Eys Patented Jan. 16, 1951 ABLE IRON ER CLUTCH WITH SELF-ACTUATIN G Archibaid H. Davis, Sandusky, Thomas Harris,

East. 'iileveland, and Edward C. Swilik. Cleveland, @hio, .assignors, by direct-and mcsne assignments, to The Apex Electrical Mfg. 00., @lcveiand 01110, a corporation of Ohio Application August 6, 1946, Serial No. 688,662 13 Claims. (Cl. 38. 9.)

This invention relates .to. an electric ironer, more particularly to an electric ironer of the typeiwhich has a fixed, heated ironing shoe and a rotatable drum member which automatically moves into position to press the fabric against the shoe and rotates to effect'the ironing.

'It is an object of this invention to provide a compact and simple mechanism for rotating the drum and positioning it with respect to the shoe, all of which mechanism is housed within the drum itself, thereby reducing the number of exterior obstructions and interferences which "might trouble the operator.

In portable ironers which must be adapted for use on a standard height table, any increase in base height due to the placement of mechanism therein either results in an increase in height of the ironing drum and shoe or a decrease in clearance between those parts and the base, both: conditions being undesirable. By

placing all mechanism in the drum and none in the base, base thickness maybe kept toa minimum.

One of the critical operations in using ironing machines is that of placing the fabric to be. ironed on the drum or shoe in the proper position and insuring that it is properly positioned when the roll forces the fabric against the ironing shoe. This is best done if the operator can use both hands to position and uide the fabric, so it is highly desirable at the ironer be automatic in the sense that the rotation of the drum and positioning of the drum against the shoe can be initiated and controlled Without requiring use of the operatofis hands -and without'requiring any complex Series of distracting control operations on the part of the operator. Accordingly, it is another object of this invention to provide an automatic ironing mechanism in which the motor is started, the

drum is positioned against the shoe and is also started turning by merely pressing a foot, knee or other control switch in one direction.

It is another object of our invention to so design the mechanism that the operator need do nothing more than release pressure on the same. switch. in order to cause the drum to return to its normal position and stop rotating,

provide an effective cooling for the motor to dissipate heat imparted to it by the shoe and drum. Briefly, this is accomplished by extend.-

ing the motor shaft through the reduction gear housing and attaching a fan blade to the, shaft extension, and providing passageways for cooling air in any obstructing parts of the 'mechanism.

Reference is made to co-pending application No. 688,663, filed by Archibald H. Davis, August 6, 1946, and assigned to The Apex Electrical Mfg. Company, Cleveland, Ohio, which one pending application claims structure broadly wherein the ironer is completely controlled by operation of a switch controlling a reversible electric motor. The claims in this application are directed-specifically to structure whereina self-actuating clutch is employed in connection with a reversible motor although the motor switch remains the sole control medium for the ironer as inv the broader aspects of the invention.

These and other objects will be apparent as the following detailed description of our invention proceeds.

In the drawings:

Figs. 1 and 2 are external views of the novel ironer showing that it is entirely free from external mechanism;

Fig.- 3 is a view of part of the drum member with parts broken away to show the driving gear and driving key;

Fig. 4 is a. perspective schematic representation of the basic mechanism employed to produce the objects of our invention previously described. In this figure the parts are shown schematically for purposes of illustration and many of the parts are somewhat elongated to avoid visual interference of the parts;

Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate the manual drum position linkage and spring relief mechanism, Fig. 5 showing it in normal position and Fig. 6 'in a retracted position;

Figs. 79 are end elevations of the portion of the mechanism which causes the novel automatic action and positioning of the drum. Fig. 7 shows the parts in their normal retracted position. the position being that which would occur just before the control switch is pressed to. start the ironer. Fig. 8 shows an intermediate position of the drum as it moves toward the shoe. Fig. 9 shows the drum in its forward position ready for ironing; and

Fig. -15 a schematic diagram to illustrate" the principles of how the control switchiand r the motor.

the automatic stop switch may be connected to This figure is not intended to show actual electric wiring, it merely illustrates the function which is produced, the actual wiring being determined by the type of motor and the available current supply.

In Figs. 1 and 2 can be seen the base structure B, the support arm I which carries the heated shoe S, and the metal ironing pressure plate 2. Another fixed arm 3 supports the drum D. The cover plate 4 covers the manual positioning and release mechanism which willbe described in detail later. Suffice to say at this time that the control handle 5 enables the operator to retract the drum manually at any time. The end plate 6 is apertured as at 1 to permit air circulation by a fan mounted in the drum.

In Fig. 3 part of the drum D is shown; it carries a fabric cover 8; a fragmentary portion of which is illustrated. There is also an internal ring gear 9 which is driven by'a pinion 9a shown in Fig. 4. A part of the drum is also broken away in Fig. 3 to show a key M which drives a hub member H in the operatin mechanism as will be described presently.

In Fig. l, the drum support member 3 has rotatably mounted therein a shaft ill and this shaft, in turn, supports sleeve II which is fixed to an .arm A, mounted for independent rotation upon the shaft ID. A support arm or bar i2 is keyed to the arm A, this arm forming a support for the motor M and also. representing the center of rotation of the drum. The frame or housing of motor M is mounted on bar 12 by any convenient means indicated generally at l3 and the motor is also provided with a gear reduction B so that the pinion 9a may be driven at the required relatively slow speed.

The motor M may be serieswound to auto matically accommodate the ironing speed to the load at hand, this beinga desirable feature.

Since, as will appear in the following detailed description, the motor must be reversed to accomplish certain objects of this invention, use of a series motor has another advantage in that such motors are readily reversed Without need for split phase field windings, capacitors and the like commonly found in squirrel-cage induction motors. I contemplate that my device could be fitted with shunt or a squirrel cage motor of any ment H is mounted for independent rotation upon the supporting bar [2. Member H is driven by the key I4 on the drum, which key engages a recess or slot Ma in the periphery of the member H. Member H is apertured as at l5 for air circulation and is connected to and drives a partial revolution clutch hub l6 which plays an important part in the operation of the device as 'will be described. Thefar end of the drum is provided with a centrally apertured closure flange which is supported for rotation on bearing 9b. This flange will also have cooling apertures to permit circulation of air by the fan.

' The helical wire clutch W is wrapped around the hub l6 so that it has a frictional engagement with the hub. The ends of the wire W may be bent outwardly as at I! and I8 and the wire W is preferably made of spring steel of high tensile strength. The driven member, that is the memprises a pair of arms Ha and E811 which are rotatably mountedon the shaft [2 that supports the drum. In the preferred construction this mounting in the form of a cam member C which serves not only to couple and mount the arms Na and [So so that they may be driven, but has the additional function of acting as an operator or re-acter for moving the bar l2 and, hence, the drum to and from the shoe. The cam member C, rotatably mounted on shaftl2, forms the third part of the clutch arrangement, the general action being that the spring wire W clutches together hub member H and the cam C. Cam C has a pair of arms Ha and l8a attached thereto or integral therewith for co-action with the extension arms I! and E8 of the clutch spring W.

Cam C is formed with circular portions 29 and 2f the centers of which coincide with the center of the shaft or bar l2. The cam is also formed with lift edges 22 joining the two edges 20 and 2!, the edges 22 lying in a circle the center of which lies below. that of arm l2. The cam surfaces 22 lie in a circle with a center midway between and in linewith roller 24 and at the .two extreme positions of the cam. At intermediate positions of the cam such as that shown in Fig. 8, the center'of the circle containing surfaces 22 drops slightly below the line connecting the,

rollers so that there is a small clearance at the non-reacting roller. A cam follower arm member 23 is mounted to turn with the support shaft l0 and has cam follower rollers 24 and 25. As will be explained presently, it is the action of cam C acting as a first operator and reacting against the otheroperator in the form of normally fixed I cam rollers 24 and 25 which causes the arm A and hence the drum to move to and from the shoe. Likewise, these same members interact .to form stop means at each extreme of the drums motion.-

In order that the clutch W may be disengaged at properv times in the cycle, the arm A carries another arm 26 which mounts a clutch release pin 21, the pin being positioned in the path of motion of one or the other of the pring arms I! or l8, depending upon the direction of rotation of the hub member H. Bracket 28 is also attachedto the arm A for mounting a reverse limit switch 29. where it willbe engaged by a member carried by the cam C. The majority of the supporting bracket 28 has been broken away so that the parts behind it may be clearly seen. A flange plate 30 or the like may be provided attached to the sleeve II in order to mount'an end closure plate 6 which plate fits within the drum and is apertured for circulation of air.

At the right of Fig. 4 can be seen a simplified view of the manual positioning means and the spring pressure mechanism. This mechanism serves the dual purpose of providing a resilient pressure between the drum and shoe during iron- 7 ing or in case large objects pass between those parts, and of providing for manual separation of the drum andshoe at any desired time. The supporting shaft it] supports the entire drum mechanism upon pedestal 3 and shaft 10 carries the crank arm 3! which arrn is pivoted by pin 32 to a link 33. The lower end of the link 33 may be slotted as at 34 and the slot receives the pin 35 mounted on the manually positionable crank 36. The crank Biris pivoted in the support member 3 as 'at 3'! and is controlled by the hand lever 5. The pring'38 is anchored by pins 32 and 35, the purpose of this spring being to provide a yielding pressure during ironing.

The mechanism just described appears in Figs.

.vented by stop pin .39.

tension tends to .rotate crank arm 36 counter- ;clockwise but this may be :prevented by .a stop 4! acting against the crank 36 or by having the -lever 5 engage some fixed part of the support mechanism. In addition, tension of the :spring 38 tends to bring the crank arm '3! down .and '.move the drum toward the shoe but this is pm- The parts .are arranged, :however, so that as the roll engages the shoe pressure on the drum tends to rotate 'theshaft H1 clockwis and the spring 38 stretches as the crank 3| is turned.

In Fig. 6 the control ltvel .5 has been positioned rearwardly and the control crank 'passes .to. the otherside cf the imaginary line referred to between the two pivot pins. Link '33 thereby 'lifts the crank arm ,3! and rotates the shaft 10, which withdraws the drum from the shoe. .A positive stop may be provided for theretracted position or an engagement between arm 5.Iand a fixed part may s We to limit retraction except-in this case further retraction of arm 3| is. resisted by the force of spring 38..

Figs. 7, 8 and 9 clearly illustrate the action of the clutch mechanism and of the positioning -mechanism controlled by shaft 10 previously referred to. If the following description of Figs. 7-9 is read in conjunction with the schematic diagram shown in Fig. 4, a clear understanding of the detailed operation of the clutch mechanism and an overall orientation of how the parts are positioned with respect to one another will hehad. Starting with Fig. '"7, an elevation view of the member H, the cam, the wire clutch W and the cam follower arm and drum support :arm A are shown. The mechanism shown in Fig. 7 is drawn in the position that it would assume vif the operator had released the control switch referred to previously, and the drum had automatically withdrawn and had stopped rotating. As indicated by the arrow, the direction in which the drum rotates in order to iron is assumed to .be counterclockwise. Now, as the :control switch :is moved to close the forward circuit, as seen in the wiring diagram in Fig. 10, the motor should start rotating in its forward direction and due to the gearing'and drive to the driving hub member l6 shown previously, that member will start to rotate in the direction of the arrow.

the spring clutch wire W has a frictional en- ..ga-gement with the hub I6, rotation of the member H carries the spring W with it, and the arm spaced from the hub 16 as at 42, will now be turned away from the release pin. As the hub member; carries the wire W andthe armi away from the pin 21, the end of ,thewir-e adjacent arm I7 is per-mittfd to spring' back against the hub and remove the clearance .shown at 42. When this occurs the parts are so related that the arm I! is carried against the cam arm Ha.

[With the clutch arrangement of the sort shown.

here, this immediately causes the wire W to be Since "wrapped amurld d fi mly clamped. to the hub IB and the wire Wnow tends to move with the hub 16 and hence with the member H. Since the arm I] of the clutch wire is now locked to the tub member H, it will carry the arm Ila and hence the cam 0 along with it. The cam C ismounted for independent rotation on the supporting shaft 42 and it will be noted that a lift portion 22 of the cam will be moved under the roller 25 which roller is fixed to the stationary support shaft in.

:Sin-cethe shaft II] is held stationary by the manual positioning and spring rclease means shownin Figs. 4, :5 and 6, in normal operation the roller support arm 23 does turn. However,

:it will be :noted that arm A is free to turn on shaft in as can be seen in Figs. 4. and 7. There-- fore, as thecain C is rotated by the clutch, the

lift portion 22 reacts against the roller 25 and forces the entire drum supporting mechanism to the left in the figure so that arm A pivots upon shaft 10.

The forward cycle is shown partially completed in Fig. 8. .Arm A has been forced towards the shoe, and the lift portion 22 of the cam is continuing to react against the fixed roller 25. The other roller 24 of the cam (broken away for j'olarity'l is engaging a surface approximately concentric with that engaged by the roller 25 so that as the arm A is moved to the left to increase the distance of the roller 25 from the center of the shaft 12, the surface engaged by roller 24 becomesa corresponding distance closer to the center of the shaft I2. It will be noted in Fig.

:8 that the arm I; is driving the cam arm .l-la.

and that all clearance is taken up between the clutch wire and the hub and, as can be clearly seen in Fig. 4, this action tends to wrap the wire around the hub and to increase the driving action of the clutch.

In Fig. 9, the forward cycle is completed. The

action just shown in Fig. 8 is continued until the arm 18 of the wire W is carried against the release pin 2'! which, as can be seen in Fig. 4, -.is mounted on the arm A. When this happens .roller 24 engages the surface 28 of the cam, which surface. is a segment of a circle having its center corresponding to the center of the shaft I2. With this,'the center of shaft l2 cannot move any closer to the fixed roller 24 so that the arm A cannot pivot to the left any further, and motion of the drum towards the ironing s'hoe'is stopped. It will be remembered that the rollers "24 and 25 are, maintained in a fixed position by the shaft lfl during normal operation of the device. Roller 25 may now ride upon a circular .portion 2| of the cam, which surface also has for [1B8 center the center of shaft 12.

Thus, it would be possible to continue rotation of the camv C without changing the position of the drum relative to the base structure, because both rollers aremerely engaging circular cam edges with centers corresponding to that of cam rotation. Furthermore, if the cam C were rotated so that both It will be noted in Fig. 9 that the surface 22 of the cam, which engages roller 25, exerts a powerful wedging action near the end of the cycle tending to urge the arm A towards the left. Since the lift of the cam is relatively small towards the end of the cycle, a given amount of torque tending to rotate the cam results in a high pressure or wedging of the ironing drum against the shoe. Even if the cam is designed so that the roller never quite rides on the circular portion 2|, any pressure against the drum and arm A tending to move it back would, dueto reaction against the roller, tend to rotate the cam clockwise. However, since the lift of the cam is small near the end of the cycle, it is possible that the friction forces resulting from such pressure would prevent any resultant action tending to rotate the cam and even if such'reaction were present, it would be very slight and would merely turn the cam clockwise enough to carry the spring arm E8 away from stop pin 21 causing the spring W to again wrap around the hub, re-engage the clutch, and restore the cam to its previous position. It will also be noted that when the drum assumes the position shown in Fig. 9, since the clutch is released, the drum can continue to rotate without encountering any resistance from the clutch and drum positioning mechanism.

When the operator desires to have the drum withdrawn from the shoe, he merely releases the control switch which, as shown in the diagram 'of Fig. 10, reverses the motor. When the motor reverses, the arm [8 of the spring W, is carried away from the release pin 21 and towards the cam arm 98a, and when the arm I8 engages the cam arm l8a, the spring is again wrapped around the hub i6 and further reverse rotation of the motor, hub and spring drives the cam C in a clockwise direction. Now, the portion of the cam 22 which engages roller 24 acts as a lift portion of the cam and since theroller 24 is stationary, the shaft i2 and the entire assembly is moved back towards its orginal position. When the initial position is reached, the arm [.1 is brought up against pin 2'! which releases the clutch and stops further rotation of the cam as seen in Fig. 7. Now shaft'l2 and arm A cannot move any closer to roller 25 because circular portion 20 of the cam engages roller 25. Since cam portion 26 is concentric with support [2 the roller remains at a fixed minimum distance from the arm A. Likewise when the shaft I2 and arm A are forward roller 2 engages the other terminal surface of cam 2c with which shaft I2 can get no closer to roller 24. Thus, the portion 20 of the cam acts as a stop for both directions of drum motion.

' It will be noted in Fig. 4 that the normally closed limit switch 29 is positioned to be engaged and opened by cam arm 51a when the mechanism assumes the relationship shown in Fig. '7. Limit switch 29 does not appear in Fig. 7 in the interests of clarity, but it is shown in Fig. 4 and it is so arranged that when thearm Ila reaches the position shown in Fig. 7 (and also in Fig. 4) the limit switch is opened. This opens the reverse circuit of the motor and the motor and hence drum rotation thereupon stops. The principle of the circuit is illustrated in Fig. 10 wherein release of the control switch has caused it to close the reverse circuit for the motor and at the end of the cycle the operator arm Ila has engaged the reverse limit switch, to open the reverse cirto do to initiate the ironing cycle is to close the control switch so that the motor will start in the forward direction. Of course, if the switch is spring biased as shown in Fig. 10, the operator must hold the switch closed to continue ironing.

It can be seen that due to the contour of the cam C and the relationship of the arm 23 which carries rollers 24 and 25, that the extreme fore and aft positions of the drum are determined by the position of the arm 23. As has been previously described, arm 23 is mounted on shaft H] which, in turn, is rotatably mounted in the support structure 3. Also, it has been seen that the control structure and spring release structure determine the position of the shaft I0 and hence determine thetwo extreme positions 'of the drum. It will also be noted that in the extreme retracted position, retractions due to manual crank motion'and due to the automaticrretract motion are additive, providing ample clearance space between drum and shoe for cleaning or steaming the ironing surface.

It has'been shown how any backward pressure against the drum, i. e., pressure tending to force it away from the shoe, is transmitted from the cam C to the roller 25 and hence to the shaft 16. If this pressure is great enough the shaft It can rotate clockwise against the force of the spring 38. Furthermore, if the cam Cis turned until the rollers are on the circular portions 20 and 2| of the cam which have their centers coinciding with that of shaft I2, there will be no.

reaction from this pressure tending to rotate the cam.

If the operator desires to use the ironer for pressing, he need only place the switch for forwardmotion until the drum moves against the shoe and then place the switch in its intermediate position which prevents drum rotation. Having completed the detailed description of the invention, it is contemplated that certain modifications thereof may be made. 'We have illustrated our invention in a simple form so that the basic principles thereof may be clearly understood and have not attempted to illustrate complicating design details. We have shown the spring wrap-around clutch because it is a very simple, rugged and eifective device, but contemplate thatthe word clutch, as used in the appended claims, will include any other device which can be utilized to function according to the principles laid down in this specification.

Likewise, we have shown a cam operator mechanism to control the position of the drum against the relatively stationary reaction member, but

-' nism which is unusually simple to control in that the operator need only press a switch to start the entire mechanism in operation for ironing and'release the same switch to withdraw the drum from the shoe and cause the drum to stop rotating, there being no manual clutches or other controls for normal operation.

cuitand stop the motor. All the operator needs duces the obstruction at the supported end and also reduces the overall length of the ironer without-sacrificing roll length. A reduction in overalllironer length is particularly helpful with a. portable ironer in that it facilitates stowage in the standard width of kitchen cabinet.

We believe ourselves to be the first to devise such an ironer as claimed and contemplate that the modifications referred to above as well as modifications in design details which are common knowledge to all machine designers and others may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the ap-- pended: claims.

Having thus described the present invention so that others skilled in the art may beable to understand and practice the same, we state that what we desire to secure by Letters Patent i'sde-- fined in what is claimed.

We claim:

1. In an ironer, a base structure, a shoe drum support member, a memberhavingahubro-- tatably mounted on said drum supportmember, an electricv motor having rotor and stator elements one of which is mounted on said drum support member, drive means connecting said drum and said hub for rotation by said other motor element, a spring wire clutch member wrapped around and in frictional engagement with said hub and having an arm portion, a cam member 'rotatably mounted on said drum support memberhaving abutment means disposed in the path of said clutch arm portions, normally stationary cam follower means mounted on said base structure, said drive means being arranged so that as soon as the motor is started the drum, hub member and clutch spring turn in one direction whereupon the clutch arm portion is carried against and engages the cam abutment means, said clutch member being wrapped around the hub in such a direction that the aforesaid en gagement of the clutch arm and cam abutment means tends to further wrap the clutch: member against and increase itsgrip on the hub; said clutch arm portion thereafter turning the cam, said cam acting againstsaid cam follower member to move said drum support member and associated structure toward said shoe.

2. In an ironer, a base structure, a shoe mounted thereon, a drum support member, means mounting said drum support member on said base structure for motion toward and away from said r shoe, a drum rotatably mounted on said drumsl pport member, a-memberhaving a hub rotatably mounted on said drum support member, an electric motor having rotor and stator elements one'of which is mounted on said drum support member, drive means connecting said drum and said'h-ub for rotation by said other motor element, a spring wire clutch member wrapped around and in frictional engagement with said hub and having an arm portion at each end, a cam member rotatably mounted on said drum support member having abutment means disposed in the path of said clutch arm portions, normally stationary cam follower means mounted on said base structhe hub in such a direction that the aforesaid engagement of saidone clutch arm portion and cam abutment means tendsto further wrap the clutch member against and increaseits grip on the hub, said clutch arm portion thereafter turn-- ing the cam, said cam acting against said cam follower member to move said drum support member andassoci'ated structure toward said shoe, and clutchreieaSe means mounted on said drumsupport mounting means and disposed between s'ai'd clutch arm portions rotation of said hub past a. certain point carrying said other clutch: arm portion against said release meanstherebytending tounwrap said clutch member about said hub.

3 In an ironer, a base structure, a shoemounted thereon, a drum supportmember, means mountingsaid drumsu'pport memberon saidbasei structure for motion toward and away from said shoe, a drum rotatably mounted on said "drum support member, a member having a hub rotat ably mounted on said drum support member, areversible electric motor having rotor and stator elements one of which is mounted onsaid drumsupportmember, drive means connecting said drum and said hub'for rotation by said other motor element, a spring wire clutch member wrapped around and in frictional engagement withsaid hub and having an armportion ateach end, a cam: member rotatably mounted on'said drum support member having abutment means disposedin thepath of said clutch arm portions, normally stationary cam follower means mounted on said base structure, said drive means beingarranged so thatras soon as the motor is started the drum, hub member and clutch spring turn in one direction, whereupon one of said clutch arm portions is carried againstrandengages the cam: abutment means, said clutch member being wrapped aroundthehub in such a direction that the aforesaid engagementi'of said one-clutch arm portion andcam abutment means: tends to furdrum support. member and. associated: structure:

toward; said. shoe, andu'clutchw release means mounted on solidi-drumsupportv mounting-means.

. and disposed between said clutch. arm portions rotation ofsaid hub: past. a: certain point carrying said other clutch arm portion against-said release means thereby tending to unwrap said clutch member against said hub, reversal ofsaid motor carrying said other clutch arm portion away from said release means and against said abutment means towrap said clutch member against said huband retract said drumsupport member.

4-. In an ironer, abase structure, an ironingshoe element and an ironing drum element, means mounting one of said elements on said base structure, means mounting theother of saidelements: on said base structure for-motion to J ward andaway from said one element, a member having a hub rotatably supported by saidbase i structure, anelectric motor having rotor and stator elements one of which is supported by said base structure, constantly engaged drivemeans connecting said drum element and said hub for rotation by said other motor element, a a

spring wire clutch member wrapped around andinfrictional engagement with said hub and hav-- ing an arm portion at each end, rotatable abutment means concentric with said hub member I and disposed in the path of said clutch arm por-- 1 1 tion, means connecting said abutment meansand the mounting means for said other elements for moving said latter element relative to said base structure, said drive means being arranged so that as soon as the'motor is started the drum,

hub member and wire clutch turn in one direction, whereupon one of said clutch arm portions is carried against and engages said abutment means, said clutch member being wrapped about the hub in such a direction that the aforesaid engagement of said one clutch arm portion and abutment means tends to further wrap the clutch member about and increase its grip on the hub, said clutch arm portion thereafter turning to move said other element toward said one element, and clutch release means supported on the mounting means for said other element and disposed between said clutch arm portions, rotation of said hub past a predetermined point carrying said other clutch arm portion against said release means thereby tending to unwrap said clutch member about said hub.

5. In an ironer, an ironing shoe element, a rotatable ironing drum element, one of said ironing elements being fixed and the other being mounted for relative movement toward and away from the fixed ironing element, a reversible electric motor, a rotatable driving element, means rotatably driving said ironing drum element and said driving element from said motor, mechanism for moving said movable ironing element toward and away from said fixed ironing element, said mechanism comprising a plurality of relatively movable interconnected members, one of said members being fixed and constituting a reaction member, another of said members being movable and connected to said movable ironing element, a clutch resiliently pressed into engagement with said rotatable driving element and frictionally coupling the same to said movable one or said interconnected members of said mechanism so that rotation of said motor in one direction tends to move said movable member relative to said fixed member and thereby move said shoe and drum toward each other, and rotation of said motor in the opposite direction tends to move said movable member in the opposite direction relative to said fixed member and thereby said shoe and drum away from each other, and release means arranged to release said clutch after a predetermined movement of said driving element in either direction.

6. In an ironer, an ironing shoe element and ironing drum element, means mounting one of said ironing elements for motion toward and away from the other ironing element, a reversible electric motor, a rotatable driving element, normally constantly engaged drive means connecting said motor to said drumand said driving element for rotation, mechanism to cause motion of said movable ironing element relative to the other ironing element, said mechanism comprising a plurality of relatively movable interconnected members, one of said members being fixed and constituting a reaction member, another of said members being movable and connected to said movable ironing element, clutch means for coupling said driving element to said movable one of said interconnected members, means causing said clutch means to couple said driving element to said movable one of said interconnected members whenever the motor is started in one direction with the movable ironing element at its retracted position, whereupon said mechanism moves said movable ironing element toward the other ironing element for ironing, and clutch release means disposed-for en-- gagement with said clutch means to uncouple said driving element and said one interconnected member when said movable ironing element reaches its ironing position and means causing said clutch means to recouple said driving element and member whenever the motor is started in the other direction with the movable iron-,

ing element at its ironing position, whereupon said mechanism moves said movable ironing ele-' ment away from the other ironing element, said clutch means engaging said release mean when said movable ironing element returns to its retracted position.

7. In an ironer, an ironing shoe element and, an ironing drum element, means mounting one of said ironing elements'for'motion toward and said members being movable and connected to' said movable ironing element, clutch. means for coupling said driving element to said movable one of said interconnected members, means causing said clutch means to couple said driving element to said movable one of said interconnected members whenever the motor is started in one direction with the movable ironing element at its retracted position, whereupon said mechanism moves said movable ironing element toward the other ironing element for ironing, release meansdisposed for engagement by said clutch means, engagement of said clutch and release means causing said clutch means to uncouple said driving element and said member, said clutch means engaging said release means when said movable ironing element reaches its ironing position, and.

means causing said clutch means to recouple said driving element and member whenever the motor is started in the other direction with the movable ironing element at its ironing position, whereupon said mechanism moves said movable ironing element away from'the other ironing element,said

clutch means engaging said release means when said movable ironing element returns to its retracted position.

8. In an ironer, an ironing shoe element and an ironing drum element, means mounting said drum element 101' motion toward and away from the shoe element, a reversible electric motor, a rotatable driving element, normally constantly en-'- gaged drive means connecting said motor to said drum and said driving element for rotation, mechanism to cause motion of said drum element relative to the shoe element, said mechanism comprising a plurality of relatively movable interconnected members, one of said members being fixed and constituting a reaction member, an

other of said members being movable and connected to said drum element, clutch means for coupling said driving element to said movable one tion with the drum element at its retracted position, whereupon said mechanism moves said drum 13 element toward the shoe element for ironing.,and clutch release meansdisposed for engagement by said. clutch means, engagement of said clutch and release means causing said clutch means to uncouple said driving element and said member, said clutch means engaging said release means when said movable ironing element reaches its ironing position, and means causing said clutch means to recouple said driving element and member whenever the motor is started in the other direction with the movable ironing element at its ironing position, whereupon. said mechanism moves said movable ironing element away from the other ironing element, said clutch means engaging said release means when said. movable ironing element returns to it retracted position.-

. 9. In an ironer, an ironing shoe elementand an ironing drum element, means mounting one of said ironing elements for. motion toward. and

away from the other ironin element, a reversible electric mote-r and acontrol circuit for said motor, v

a rotatable driving element, normally constantly engaged drive means connecting said motor to said drum and said driving element for rotation, mechanism to cause motion of said movable iron.- ing element relative to the other ironing element, said mechanism comprising a plurality of relatively movable interconnected members, one of said members being fixed and constituting a reaction membenanother of said members being movable and connected to said movable ironing element, clutch means for-coupling said driving element to said movable one oi said interconnected members, means causing said clutch means to couple said driving element to said movable one of said interconnected members whenever" the motor is started in one direction with the movable ironing element at its retracted position, whereupon said mechanism moves said movable ironing element toward the other ironing element for ironing, and clutch release means disposed for engagement with said clutch means to uncouple said driving element and said one interconnected member when said movable ironin member reaches its ironing position, release means disposed for engagement by said clutch means, engagement of said clutch and release means causing said clutch means to uncouple said driving element and said member, said clutch means engaging said release means whensaid movable ironing element reaches its ironing position, and means causing said clutch means to recouple said driving element and member whenever the motor is started in the other direction with the movable ironing element at its ironing position, whereupon said mechanism moves said movable ironing element away from the other ironing element, said clutch means engaging said release means when said movable ironing element returns to its retracted position, and electric limit switch means operated by retraction of said movable ironing element to open said motor control circuit as said movable ironing element reaches its retracted position.

10. In an ironer, an ironin shoe element and an ironing drum element, means mounting said drum element for motion toward and away from the shoe element, a reversible electric motor having its stator mounted on the drum element, a rotatable driving element, normaly engaged drive means including reduction gearing connecting said motor to said drum and said driving element for rotation, mechanism to cause motion of said drum element relative to the shoe element, said mechanism comprising a plurality of relatively movable interconnected members, one of said members being fixed and constituting a reaction.

member, another of said members being movable and connected to said. drum element, said drum; element being free to turn whenever said motor is energizedclutch means for coupling said driving element to said movable one. of said interconnected members, means causing said clutch means to. couple said driving element to said movable one of said interconnected members whenever the motor is started in one direction with the drum element at its retracted position,

whereupon said mechanism moves said drum elc-- ment toward the shoev element for ironing, and clutch release means disposed for engagement by said clutch means, engagement of said clutch and release means causing said clutch means to uncouple said driving element andsaid member, said. clutch means engaging said releasev means when said movable ironing element reaches its ironing position.

ii. In an .ironer, an ironing shoe element and an ironin drum element, means mounting said drum element for motion toward and away from the shoe element, a reversible electric motor having its stator mounted on the drum element, a rotatable driving element, normally engaged drivemeans including a, reduction gearing connecting said motor to said drum and said driving element for rotation, mechanism to cause motion of said drum element relative to the shoe element, said mechanism comprising a plurality of relatively movable interconnected members, one of said members being fixed and constituting a reaction member, another of said members being movable and connected to said drumelement, said drum element being free to turn whenever said motor is energized, clutch means. for coupling said drivin element to said movable one of said interconnected members, means causing said clutch means to couple said driving element to said movable one of said interconnected members Whenever the motor is started in one direction with the drum element at its retracted position, whereupon said mechanism moves said drum element toward the shoe element for ironing, and clutch release means disposed for engagement by said clutch means, engagement of said clutch and release means causing said clutch means to uncouple said driving element and said member, said clutch means engaging said release means when said movable ironing element reaches its ironing position, and means causing said clutch means to recouple said driving element and member whenever the motor is started in the other direction with the movable ironin element at its ironing position, whereupon said mechanism moves said movable ironing element away from the other ironing element, said clutch means engaging said release means when said movable ironing element returns to its retracted position.

12. In an ironer, a base structure, a fixed shoe mounted thereon, drum support means including a support member normally stationary relative to said base structure and an axle member eccentrically mounted on said first member for motion toward and away from said shoe, a drum mounted for rotation about said axle member, a reversible electric motor having its stator mounted on said axle member, driving and driven ele-' ments rotatably mounted on said axle member, clutch means for coupling said elements, drive means including reduction gearing connecting said drum and said driving element for rotation by the rotor of said motor, cam means rotatably nounted on said axle member and connected tov said driven element to be turned when the driving and driven elements are coupled, normally stationary cam follower means mounted on said ,normally stationary drum support member and engaging said cam means to cause motion of said axle member relative to said drum support member. in opposite directions when the clutch is coupled and the cam is turned in opposite directions by the reversible motor, means causing coupling of said clutch elements whenever the motor is started in one direction with the drum at its retracted position whereby said drum moves toward the shoe, saidilast-named means comprising arm means on said clutch means and abutment means on said driven element disposed in the path of said arm means, and means causing coupling of said clutch element whenever the motor is started in the reverse direction with the drum in itsiironing position whereby said drum retracts from the shoe, saidilast-named means comprising arm means on said clutch means andabutment means on said driven element disposed in the path of said arm means, and clutch release means releasing said clutch after the drum has moved from one of said positions to the other, said last-named means comprising abutment means supported on said axle member and disposed in the path of said arm means 13. In an ironer, an ironing shoe member and an ironing drum member, means mounting one of said ironing members for motion between a retracted position and an ironing position, a reversible electric motor, a rotatable driving element, a rotatable driven element, and clutch means for coupling said elements, normally constantly engaged drive means connecting said drum and said driving element for rotation by said reversible electric motor, mechanism connected to said driven element to cause motion of said movable ironing member relative to the other member, clutch engaging means for causing said clutch means tocouple said elements whenever the motor is started in either direction,

7 means for releasing said clutch means after said motor has driven said driven element a predetermined amount in either direction, said drum remaining in driving connection with said motor after release of said clutch means, said clutch engaging means being arranged to couple said elementswhen the motor is started in one direction with the movable ironing member at its retracted position, whereupon said mechanism moves said movable ironing member toward the other ironing member for ironing, said release means being arranged to release said clutch means when said movable ironing member reaches its ironing position, said clutch engaging means causing said clutch means to recouple said driving and driven elements whenever the motor is started-inthe other direction with the movable ironing member at its ironing position, whereupon said mecha: nism moves said movable ironing member away from the other ironing member, said clutch release means when releasing said clutch means when said movable ironing member returns to its retracted position.

ARCHIBALD H. DAVlS.

THOMAS HARRIS.

EDWARDC. SWILIK.

REFERENCES CITED The following'references are of record in the file of this patent: i

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date H Re. 19,429 Sperlich et al Jan. 15, 1935 1,837,584 Reddig Dec. 22, 1931 1,925,869 Emery Sept. 5, 1933 1,994,910 Emery Mar. 19, 1935 2,087,447 Racklyeft July 20, 1937 

